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Two resources on groundnuts

Groundnut Post-harvest Operations (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes an online compendium of post-harvest practices for dozens of crops.

Here is an introduction to groundnuts from FAO’s INPHO (Information Network on Post-harvest Operations) website:

“Groundnut is rich in oil and protein and has a high-energy value. The largest producers are China, India, Nigeria, and the United States of America, but many other African and South American countries also have sizeable production. Groundnut provides high-quality cooking oil and is an important source of protein for both human and animal diets. The bush or runner species require five months to mature and the groundnuts are harvested by lifting the plant from the ground and stripping and drying the pods. Good post-harvest handling is important in order to prevent contamination of the nuts by aflatoxins.”

The 100-page plus section on groundnuts covers a variety of post-harvest activities in depth, as well as detailing the major factors that cause losses of groundnuts, how to deal with storage pests, and the economic and social aspects of groundnut.

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/inpho/docs/Post_Harvest_Compendium_-_Groundnut.pdf [1]

Making groundnut oil and snacks

Access Agriculture produces a variety of videos on farming practices, and have produced one that shows how to process groundnuts into oil or biscuits at home using artisanal methods. Women in Benin show us that there are three important practices for guaranteeing a good product: selecting good groundnut varieties, following good harvest and post-harvest practices, and using good processing methods. 

The video is available in English, French, and Fon.

https://www.accessagriculture.org/making-groundnut-oil-and-snacks [2]